Mike Castagno Is IN as Twain’s Head Brewer

With Chase Medlin departing to work on his own project, Twain’s Brewpub & Billiards has a new head brewer on board. Mike Castagno, who has garnered buzz for his home-brewing skills, is making the jump from amateur to pro and taking over Twain’s beer program.

"Mike will bring his vast knowledge of beer making and beer styles to craft a new lineup of ales, lagers, and perhaps the occasion wild beer," Twain’s owner Ethan Wurtzel said in a prepared statement Thursday.

Castagno’s background is that of a beer nerd’s dreams. His resume includes 11 years as a homebrewer, certification as a Beer Judge Certification Program Master Beer Judge, and a day job as a commercial research-and-development chemist. It sounds like Castagno has plenty of recipes to update Twain’s beer list.

"I’ve been working on an American version of a gose for about four years, so I look forward to making that on a larger scale," he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I do a lot of work with Belgian-style beers. I’ve developed quite a few techniques to make some really interesting, dry, crisp saisons. And, recently, I’ve been doing a lot of research on lagers."

Medlin will stay on to help train Castagno in the short term. After that, he’ll leave to open his own craft brewery, Locomotion Brewing Co., in Chamblee. It should come online next spring.

• Mike Castagno Is the New Head Brewer at Twain’s Brewpub in Decatur [AJC]

• All Twain’s Coverage [EATL]

• All Beer Coverage [EATL]